PICTURE SPECIAL: Castlehill event celebrates the Caithness colonies of rare small blue butterflies
Local volunteers joined conservation experts at Castlehill Heritage Centre for a special day dedicated to helping the rare small blue butterfly.
The public event saw many turn out for a sunny day of family-oriented activities that included the planting of kidney vetch which the rare butterflies feed upon.
High Life Highland countryside ranger Paul Castle said: “We’ve got people here from the countryside volunteers for Caithness and we’re cutting back some of the vigorous growth to give some of the other plants a chance.
“Some of the knapweeds grow quick and very tall so we’re cutting those back. They’ll come back in the late summer to provide forage for the bumblebees.”
Lady’s mantle had taken hold in the central area of a roundabout at the heritage centre and volunteers were observed removing vast amounts of the invasive plant during the Sunday event on May 12.
Down a pathway near the car park, there has been a concerted effort to grow kidney vetch, a particular favourite food of the small blue butterfly.
Species on the Edge, Dunnet Community Forest, RSPB Forsinard, Association of Northern Trails, and the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub joined forces at Castlehill Heritage Centre to “celebrate the rare small blue butterfly and showcase the work” that is being done in the county to preserve its habitat.
Apart from information on the butterflies and work scheduled to help conserve their numbers, there were fun craft and seed planting activities suitable for all the family as well as opportunities to sign up to become a “small blue survey volunteer”.
Paul explained that the small blue butterfly caterpillars only feed on kidney vetch. “So if you don’t have kidney vetch you don’t get small blue butterflies. That’s why we’re trying to protect areas where it grows.”
He said that there are sites with kidney vetch at Castlehill, the dunes of Dunnet beach and Scrabster where volunteers made efforts to propagate the yellow flowers. “The Dunnet dunes site is where the most northerly [butterfly] colony is. It does exist as a natural plant but we enhance that as other plants can take over.
“Some of the sites that were really struggling, the numbers have increased now due to the work carried out. We try and get people to grow it in their gardens as well.”
At the Castlehill Heritage Centre there were packets of kidney vetch seeds for people to take home and plant.
Sarah Bird, Species on the Edge project officer for the north coast, was hopeful that the small blues could make an appearance due to the warm and sunny conditions of the day.
“Nobody has spotted them this year yet but they will be around very soon,” she said.
“We’re trying to raise awareness and show people what the butterflies need. We’ve been cutting back weeds and longer grass so that kidney vetch and other wildflowers can grow.
Lucy Ireland from the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub said she has been working closely with the various organisations represented at the event. “We’ve had quite a few people coming and going throughout the day and there are various stalls at the heritage centre too,” she said.
“Kenny [McElroy] is doing a really good walk with the John O’Groats Trail and while people are waiting they’ve been learning about the work of Species on the Edge.”
Garance Warburton is the development officer for Dunnet Forest and said that volunteers have built a “butterfly bank” in the forest.
“Today is about informing people about what we’re doing and how people can help the small blue butterfly to increase its population,” she said.
“People can take the kidney vetch seeds home to plant in their garden or take it to Dunnet Forest and plant it in our butterfly bank.”
More information on Species on the Edge is at: www.nature.scot/scotlands-biodiversity/species-edge
To find out how you can get involved in work to protect small blue butterflies in Caithness, please contact Louise Senior at: louise.senior@plantlife.org.uk
